RVing Virtual Assistant

ELIMINATE CLUTTER!

Did you know that clutter is one of the biggest sources of frustration in our lives? Want to know something else? Most of us tolerate it as if it were a force majeure. Force majeure is a common clause in legal contracts and it basically frees one or both parties from obligation or liability should some extraordinary event occur which is considered beyond the control of the parties. A war, riot, earthquake, erupting volcano, flood (i.e. an act of God) is generally considered a force majeure. You can read more about it at Wikipedia, if you feel inclined.

But folks, I am here to tell you that cluttered handbags and briefcases do NOT qualify as a force majeure! Men --- you can stop laughing. Some of the messiest, smelliest, nastiest briefcases I've ever seen have been carried around by attorneys with sterling reputations in court! I'm still wondering about the stinky gym shorts I found glued to the bottom of one briefcase (by mildew) when I emptied it of files that his staff had spent 2 days searching for!

Women --- we have come a long way, Baby, but we still haven't learned how to cope with the purse/briefcase thing effectively in most instances. I remember taking a rolling briefcase down to the person in charge of supplies and office equipment maintenance. One of the wheels was broken and the case was being sent in for repairs. When I opened it before handing it over to this person I found the bottom knee deep in a collection of paper clips, binder clips, pens, Post-It Notes and rubberbands -- all coated with a gritty white powder. No self-respecting assistant could turn that bag over to anyone like that. So I turned it upside down to empty the contents into a box and found the culprit. The white powder resulted when a bottle of a well-known OTC antacid medication opened up, spewing it's contents all over the bag. Now I'm sure that the pills did NOT disintegrate in a matter of a few hours --- it obviously took a lot of work (and file shuffling) to pulverize those tablets into this exquisitely fine powdered substance. I wanted to ring the woman's neck and yet there was little I could do except clean up the mess, which included wet-washing the inside of the briefcase and tossing a large number of perfectly good supplies!

Men laughingly refer to women's handbags as "bottom-less pits" and yet on more than one occasion I've seen a husband hand his wife items, telling her to put them in her purse --- as though it were the family filing cabinet. In some cultures men do carry small bags and I would love to be the first to hand one of them my lipstick to carry around for the evening!

The point I am trying to make here is that clutter is clutter --- wherever it occurs. And nothing is more frustrating to you and everyone around you then watching as you search in what appears to be utter futility to find your cell phone as it rings off the hook --- or to wait in the rain while you look for your car keys.

Brief cases should be emptied daily of all but the basics. To continue carrying around files that you used last week or the week before is not only weighing you down, it is asking for those files to be lost in the shuffle somewhere. Think about this for a moment: if something happened and you lost your briefcase today, would you know exactly which files and important documents were in it? Wouldn't you be happier to know you only lost files and papers applicable to ONE or TWO projects instead of a month's worth of documents?

Pick a briefcase which meets your needs, but do not buy the biggest one you can find. Briefcases are like storage units --- what goes into them expands to fit the available space. Have you ever noticed a nicely attired gentleman walking down the street with a very sleek looking briefcase. Doesn't he impress you more than one carry an old medical satchel that is ready to burst at the seams? When I see someone like that, with a tidy, trim, beautifully made briefcase, I automatically think he must be a very successful businessman.

Women fall into the same category. A few weeks ago I got on the elevator with two women attorneys. One I know well --- the other I have passing knowledge of. One had a slim, tidy briefcase and a small handbag on a shoulder strap of an appropriate length. She looked professional and ready to go. The other one got on the elevator carrying a briefcase that was overflowing with file folders stuck in every which way, a huge tote bag purse slung over her shoulder and a gym bag that had tennis shoes sticking out of the zipper. This woman was frantically digging in her tote bag for her cell phone and in the process a hairbrush, sunglasses and her Daytimer went dancing across the elevator floor. Everything about her said harried, weary and disorganized. As the door opened and we exited, she ran into her secretary and I heard her telling the poor lady that she could not find her keys and the secretary would need to drive her to the airport!

Let's start with women's handbags, since they are the source of so much ridicule:

Contrary to popular myth, you do NOT need to carry your entire make-up collection with you all day long. Put your make-up on in the morning and carry only what is necessary for a basic touch-up during the day --- generally powder/foundation in a compact and lipstick.

Do NOT use your wallet as the repository for every receipt you've received for the last year. If you must keep receipts, buy a supply of small manila envelopes and keep one in your car or bag. Start a new one each week and label each one with the dates for the receipts it contains. Saturday morning take the envelope out, sort and toss the unnecessary receipts, return the rest to the envelope and file it for the bookkeeper.

There's a neat little gadget out there called a Purseket. It's a removable, flexible panel of pockets designed to organize your handbags and tote bags. It comes in a variety of sizes, shapes, fabrics, etc., and it allows you to quickly and easily find anything if it will stand up in one of the pockets. Once you have the pockets filled you simple wrap it around the inside of your bag and there is room for your wallet or a small Daytimer in the center. The added feature of this organizer is you can quickly move it from one bag to another. So if you have a penchant for handbags and are frequently moving everything from one bag to another, this is the perfect tool for you. I first saw it on "The View" and it has since been featured in many high end magazines such as Oprah, Redbook, etc.

Limit the contents of your handbag to what you would take to lunch or dinner with a friend or your spouse. Anything else should go in a work tote or a briefcase.

Next, let's take a look at briefcases. And to restate an earlier point, few of us actually need a briefcase as large as a weekender suitcase.

Take a good look at your current briefcase. Has it outlived its usefulness? Is it looking pretty shabby and stretched out of shape? Do the locks or zippers no longer work? Then chuck it! This IS a big part of your image. You deserve something better and your clients will have more respect for you if you respect yourself.

Get a case that will carry the basics comfortably and neatly. Make sure the interior has pockets for things like pens, business cards, file folders, writing pads, etc. If you carry your laptop with you, you might consider a rolling laptop case --- there is a very nice one out there which has a separate laptop compartment that unzips on one end of the case --- it has a separate padded and zippered bag (with handles) for your laptop, which then fits inside the special compartment in the briefcase. If you do not carry your laptop with you normally, then get a sleek briefcase which will hold the basic files you need to get the job done.

Find yourself faced with a situation where you need to tote large numbers of files? Visit an office supply store and look at the crates on wheels which are now available for such things. You will be more inclined to return the files to the appropriate filing location in a timely fashion if they are in a rolling crate then you will if they are in your briefcase!

Lastly, I can hear many of you saying, "but my office is my car and I MUST carry everything in my purse or briefcase." Nonsense. Your clients don't come to your officedragging staplers, paperclips and rubberbands behind them! Neither should you. Set up a work station in your vehicle --- get a mobile filing case with a few hanging files inside. Go to the school supply section and buy a small plastic pencil box --- that will hold Post-Its, tape, highlighters, a small stapler, paperclips, binder clips, etc., and will fit in the file box. A box of staples will also slide into the bottom of the file box generally without a problem.

If you feel you need more, get a banker's box and put your supplies in there and stash it in the trunk --- with the cover on it so that everything inside stays secure and clean. Here again, a plastic pencil box kept in the main part of the car will meet your immediate needs and keep everything together in a tidy fashion.

Lastly, establish a regular routine maintenance program for your handbag, tote bag, briefcase or whatever you use. At that selected time go through your bag and empty it of anything you no longer need to carry with you. Return files to the proper location. Replace missing pens and other important items. It matters not whether you do it Saturday morning or Thursday afternoon. What matters is that you do it regularly. It is less time-consuming on a weekly basis then it is on a monthly basis. And those important receipts will be less likely to get away from you in the process.

Today's Assignment: Go through whatever bags you use on a daily basis and determine what needs to be cleaned out, tossed, replaced, etc. Take a look around your local office supply store for ideas on setting up a "mobile office" for your vehicle and consider your choices for replacing or refitting your current work tools. Start your work week without the clutter! I guarantee if you do this, you'll be smiling all the way to Organizationville this next week!

Don't be afraid --- make new friends. Try something new. It's good to break out of the routine sometimes! And take a moment to relax and meet some of my favorite friends. Laughing is good for the soul and you'll find more than one laugh in here. Enjoy!

HubPages

NEW!! MENTORING PROGRAM

Finding Your Wings!

You've been asking for it --- we're doing it. A down-to-earth, truly affordable mentoring program! No schemes or scams --- just good, helpful advice and lots of 1:1 mentoring! Full details available now! For more information email: assistant@cardinalpointva.com Hope you'll join us as we help you FIND YOUR DREAM!!!